12 Farm-Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Fine diners in Vietnam have been unwittingly eating Darth Vader.
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What Are the Most Turbulent Flight Paths in North America?
Turbulence is measured by EDR, or eddy dissipation rate. The flights with the highest EDR are Jackson Hole to Salt Lake City (17.4), Denver to Jackson Hole (17.5) and Albuquerque to Denver (17.7).
None of Those Even Cracks the Top 10 Worldwide
Flying into or out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a nerve-racking experience, but it’s child’s play compared to the rest of the world. The three highest EDRs on the planet are Mendoza to Salta (19.8), Cordoba to Santiago (20.2) and Mendoza to Santiago (a whopping 24.7).
Which Five Countries Don’t Have an Airport?
The only countries in the world you can’t fly direct to are Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.
The Ultimate Map for Railfans
This map is a real-time look at the location of every passenger train in North America.
The Ultimate Map for Fans of Seasonal Depression
This map shows where there will be shade on any day and at any time, anywhere around the world. You can move the slider to watch darkness overtake any spot on Earth.
Gut Bacteria Program Stem Cells Like Coders at a Tiny Tech Start-up
Researchers have found a mechanism through which pregnant mothers’ microbiomes help to program their babies’ stem cells in the womb.
Now Your E-Waste Can Go Into Bombs Instead of Cookware
A Texas start-up called REEcycle collects discarded computer keyboards, and develops powerful magnets used by the military-industrial complex.
Which States’ Workers Make the Most Money?
Payroll firm ADP has compiled median income data and found that Alaska ($70,000) and Massachusetts ($75,700) are the best states to collect a paycheck in. But Washington, D.C. blows them out of the water at $100,800.
Congress Built a Flag-Tracking App Like the Pizza Hut Pizza Tracker
Because the process had traditionally been so slow and opaque, Congress recently finished developing an app that allows recipients of special flags (that have flown over the U.S. Capitol) to track the progress of their flag delivery. This technology was perfected by Pizza Hut in 2017, mind you.
The Pittsburgh Pirates Are Trying to Lowball an 11-Year-Old Baseball Card Collector
After Topps announced they’d randomly packaged a one-of-a-kind, autographed Paul Skenes rookie card, the Pirates put out a statement that they’d offer the person who found it season tickets for 30 years, a couple autographed jerseys and a meet-and-greet. The card could be worth more than $150,000. The 11-year-old Los Angeles native who found it has yet to strike a deal.
More Walking, Less Talking
Analyzing footage of pedestrians in New York, Boston and Philadelphia between 1980 and 2010, researchers found that people began walking about 15 percent faster, leading to a 50 percent reduction in people hanging out and socializing in public spaces.
Scientists Identified a New Darth Vader-Looking Deep-Sea Bug That Everyone’s Been Eating
There’s a new trend of eating lobster-like monsters around Vietnam, and researchers purchased some crustaceans from fishers and restaurants in the area to study what exactly people have been chowing down on. One of them was a previously unclassified supergiant sea bug they’re calling Bathynomus vaderi.
